Remember this year I hired the tractor and pump for the main orchard copper sulphate tree spraying? Well it saved me a great amount of time, effort and aching bones I have to say…

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However, not all areas are accessible with the big old tractor and two tonne sprayer. Whilst we can use the 20 metre (65 ft) extension hoses instead of the atomiser for most areas, there is still need for a more subtle approach sometimes, particularly on the slopes, as well as for occasional treatments where tractor hire is simply not viable.

For those times, out comes the petrol (gas) driven backpack sprayer. It has a 25 litre (5.5 Gall, 6.6 US Gall) capacity, which is only big enough for 4-7 large citrus fruit trees, hence it’s damned hard work when used on a large scale. When full, it weighs some 35kg (77 lbs), and with very rocky terrain, and up to a 200 metre (217 yard) trudge back and forth to refill the tank some 35 times, you can see why the tractor hire is a good move.

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I’m always talking about the ‘blue’ of the Bordo Bulamaci (that’s the Turkish name) or Bordeaux mixture, which is copper sulphate (CuSO4) and slaked lime (Ca(OH)2), well here it is before added to the water. Welcome to my world…